Are you looking for a meal which is both healthy and delicious? This cheezy cauliflower casserole is an ideal substitute of an American favorite! Perfect for those staying away from dairy, gluten, starches, and of course meat.

There were two different things that led me in the direction of making this recipe. The first is that it’s an imitation of a recipe I used to love before going vegan. A low-carb, faux mac n’ cheese using cauliflower, which also added bacon. It was one of my daughter’s favorite meals, and she’s not even a fan of cauliflower.

I’d been wanting to veganize that recipe for a while but couldn’t decide on a bacon substitute. What caused me to think about it again was the fact that I’m cooking for a friend who is on an anti-candida cleanse right now, which is a very strict diet. Jen can’t have any pasta, not even if it’s gluten-free/low-carb. At least not store-bought ones. I suppose I could have tried to make one from scratch, but that would be hard since she can’t have many flours either.

Because pasta wasn’t an option, a cauliflower take on macaroni and cheese seemed like a good idea for one of Jen’s meals. That got me motivated to finally try and recreate that old recipe I enjoyed. I had to figure out what I’d use for bacon pieces. If only making this for myself I may have just used a store-bought fakon bacon, but since that wouldn’t be something she could have, I had to figure out another option.

What I finally decided on was to simply make a topping for the casserole with bacon-flavored almond pieces. For the “cheese,” I had to try something new as well. I shared with you last week the mozzarella I made out of almonds, but this Mock-a-Roni cheez sauce was actually the first “cheese” I made using almonds. Often when I make creamy cashew sauces I “cheat” by adding in a little vegan cream cheese, because I feel like it gives the sauce a little somethin’-somethin’, but I wouldn’t be able to do that with Jen’s food, and it really isn’t the healthiest choice either.

I discovered that adding a little white miso paste works nicely to replace the faux cream cheese. The other ingredients I added to this sauce were roasted red bell peppers, nutritional yeast (of course!), water,  lemon juice, seasonings, and I added some almond milk to make it a little creamier. At first, I was afraid it was too salty, but once the cauliflower got mixed in and everything was baked, it was perfect!  I made one for my family to test before I made and delivered one to my friend. I loved it! I made one for Jen the following week, and she loved it as well!

My next time making this, even though we loved it the first time, I decided I had the ability to make it even better! I steamed and crumbled up some tempeh and then let it marinate for a few hours in a mix of coconut aminos and smoked paprika, to give it a bacon flavor. This was the same marinade I used for the almond pieces. After they marinated, I sauteéd the tempeh bacon bits in a skillet with a little oil and then mixed them into my cauliflower and cheese, making it more like the faux mac and cheese I’d made years ago.

This time I thought my Mock-a-Roni wasn’t only delicious, it was amazing! Everyone loved it, including my omni’ taste-tester this week, Patty. I will be delivering Jen the new version of this today, and hopefully, she loves it too. She’s not a big fan of tempeh, but so far has enjoyed what I’ve made her with it.

If you as well love my Mock-a-Roni n’ Cheez w/ Facon Bacon, be sure to leave a comment below, or take a pic and tag me on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis!

Print

Mock-A-Roni n' Cheez w/ Facon Bacon

This cheezy cauliflower casserole is an is a delicious substitute for an American favorite! Perfect for those staying away from dairy, gluten, starches, and of course meat.

Course Main Course

Servings 4

Ingredients

For the facon bacon...

• 4 oz tempeh (1/2 of a standard sized package)
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• oil of choice for cooking

For the "bacon" topping...

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 Tbsp coconut aminos
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

For the cheez sauce

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup raw almonds (whole) soaked overnight
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup roasted red bell peppers Either store bought or roast your own.
• 3 T white miso paste
• 3/4 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder

Everything else...

• 1 large head cauliflower (approx. 2 1/2 lbs — no less)
• 1/2 Tbsp chives, plus more for serving chopped
• 1 green onion chopped and divided

Instructions

For the facon bacon...

• Using a saucepan with a steamer basket, steam the tempeh for 8 minutes.
  
• Whisk together the remaining facon bacon ingredients and crumble the steamed tempeh into the marinade. Marinate for a minimum of two hours, the longer the better. For maximum flavor let it sit in the fridge overnight.
  
• Heat a skillet to medium heat and drizzle with oil. Spoon in the marinated tempeh to the skillet, but do not pour in all the marinade, only about half. Saute for about 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and "bacon" has browned, stirring frequently and turning down heat if needed to prevent from burning.
  

For the "bacon" topping...

• Whisk together the coconut aminos and smoked paprika. Stir in the sliced almonds. Let marinate for at least 20 minutes.
  
• Transfer almond pieces to the food processor. If desired, drizzle with a little more marinade, reserved from the tempeh. Pulse until the almond slices are broken up into small piece. It only takes a few pulses, do not over process.
  

For the cheez sauce...

• Remove the peels from the almonds by rubbing each nut between two fingers. The peels should come right off.
  
• Place the peeled almonds, along with all remaining ingredients, to a high-speed blender and blend on high until completely smooth.
  

For everything else...

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
  
• Remove florets from cauliflower head. In a large saucepan with a steamer basket, steam florets until soft, about 10 minutes.
  
• Lay cauliflower out on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes to dry out some of the moisture. After cauliflower is removed from the oven, turn down heat to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, add cauliflower, cheez sauce, facon bacon (the tempeh, NOT the almonds), chives, and half the green onions. With a large spoon, stir to combine all the ingredients. Using the back or side of the spoon break up cauliflower florets while stirring, so they're no longer whole florets.
  
• Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish and add cauliflower mixture. Smooth the top with a silicon spatula, so it's even. Take the "bacon" topping and sprinkle (do not pour, you don't want any extra marinade to absorb into the cauliflower) it on top of the casserole. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until thoroughly heated and sides are bubbly.
  
• Remove the baking dish from the oven and change the oven setting to broil. Remove foil from casserole and place casserole in the upper third of the oven. Broil 2 - 3 minutes, until bacon topping is darkened, but frequently check to prevent burning.
  
• Let cool 10 - 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the top with remaining green onions and more chives, if desired.